Both paintings started as experiments with techniques from Ann Blockley's Experimental Landscapes in Watercolour.

This latest piece was more experimental than the first. The initial wash of watercolour and acrylic ink went crazy when I covered it in cling film. The greens and browns were sucked along the folds of the cling film into the sky.

Teasels and Grasses - Initial Wash

It took some pondering to decide on the next step. In the end, the hint of a stalk of grass next to a large teasel head pointed me in the right direction.

I painted the sky in gouache (see Experiments with Gouache) and used negative painting to establish the shapes of the foliage. I applied the gouache quite roughly to suggest the atmosphere of a cliff top on a blustery day.

Sunday, 4 January 2015

My December sketches started and finished with an emphasis on accuracy.

On 1 December, I spent an hour trying to draw the outline of a fork. You can see the result in the middle of the next spread. I spent the whole hour measuring with an outstretched pencil in an attempt to get the proportions and curves right - I just couldn't do it.

The experience was so frustrating; I decided to forego accuracy for a few days in favour of enjoying myself with modelling and tonal values.

On 3 December I drew the fork in the top right-hand corner of the page. I started with a quick gestural sketch that looked about right. I drew a box (in perspective) around the fork with a centre line and made some adjustments based on this. Then I started modelling and shading. I spent less than 15 minutes on the sketch. The experience and the resulting drawing were both more satisfying.

I changed tack slightly after starting to read Sketching (from square one ….To Trafalgar Square) by Richard E. Scott (See http://www.sketchingfromsquareone.com/index.html) - a present from Elaine. The importance of accuracy is one of the central themes of the book.